Who was the first venture capitalist? Shakespeare

Shakespeare was always an astute business man. Some historians have described him as one of the first venture capitalists in that emerging Elizabethan market economy. He bought one of the most prestigious houses in Stratford (ten rooms and ten fireplaces) then converted the gardens into more practical use ie barns for storage of grain, corn and barley. Harvests then failed in the ensuing years and the resulting grain shortage meant his property increased in value four fold in a short space of time.

Source: the excellent Peter Ackroyd's book Shakepeare